


Beautiful

by Drachesoul



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:06:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25949323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drachesoul/pseuds/Drachesoul
Summary: Bae Joohyun is bored. She's been a vampire for so long that nothing interests her anymore. Even the hunt has become mundane and routine. Something changes though when she meets perhaps the stupidest werewolf she's ever seen. And for whatever reason, her unlife suddenly begins to get a lot more interesting.Monster-era Seulrene mini-fic.
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Kang Seulgi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 89





	1. Chapter 1

The only disadvantage Joohyun saw to being immortal was that her day to day life soon got _incredibly_ boring. Sure, the first few centuries were fun, she reveled in the wanton mayhem and bloodshed that most of her kind lived for. To this day she still fondly remembered spending the latter half of the seventeenth century basically drunk on a blood high. But like most fun things, eventually the novelty wore off.

Newborn vampires had it lucky, she thought as she strode through the halls of her Family’s mansion. She supposed the upside to paying taxes for the last four hundred years meant that there wasn’t a single material thing on this Earth that she couldn’t afford. Her Family’s mansion included. Situated in the heart of one of Seoul’s most expensive housing districts in Gangnam, Joohyun decided to settle down and spend the next portion of her unlife doing her best to make sure humanity never learned of the supernatural community.

Vampires weren’t the only terrors that lurked in the alleyways of Seoul. Some species were rarer than others of course, but over the course of her incredibly long life Joohyun had pretty much seen it all. Werewolves, Fae, Skinstealers (she shuddered involuntarily thinking about the sneaky little fuckers)…regardless of their proclivity for hunting humans there was one shared rule among them all. Humanity must NEVER find out about their existence. Let them have their badly written movies about sparkling vampires and demons. The false mythos would help them maintain their secrecy.

Of course humanity had come close to learning about them on several occasions. The first in Joohyun’s memory being of a rogue alpha werewolf in the early eighteenth century who had taken to mauling villagers outside of Busan. “Disposing” of him had proved to be quite the challenge for a fledgling Joohyun. She hated thinking of herself as a good guy though. Far from it, in fact. Hunting for sport was allowed (and encouraged), but it had to be done discreetly She’d committed more than her fair share of murder, earning her a place in humanity’s history books as the “Pale Lady”. The difference between her and the crazy werewolf? She was smart enough to make sure her kills were never seen.

Hunting humans was one of the few things that gave her joy anymore, and she relished in the hunt. With technology evolving at the pace it was, hunting in the era of facial recognition meant she had to be even more cautious about her marks. Weeks of research would go into her researching her next meal. Gone were the days of yanking some random passerby into an alley; she had to play to her strengths.

“Joohyun!” a familiar voice called out her name, jolting her back into the present. She turned, arching one perfectly manicured eyebrow as her second-in-command approached her.

“Sooyoung, I thought you were getting ready for tonight’s Council meeting.” Park Sooyoung had been one of Joohyun’s first successful fledglings. What was immortality if you couldn’t share it with someone, right? She had found Sooyoung over a hundred years ago, bleeding to death outside the house of a local gang leader. To this day Sooyoung wouldn’t reveal _why_ she had been over at the man’s house, but Joohyun never pried. Her Second’s past was of no issue to her, what mattered was the present.

“I don’t know _why_ you insist on our Family attending these useless meetings every year. It’s always the same; we get into a fight with the ‘wolves over territory, the witches gloat over being able to hunt in public without attracting attention, the Fae get super drunk and try to convince the Skinstealers to do impressions and don’t _even_ get me started on the Gumiho…” she continues rambling for several minutes and Joohyun lets her. It’s a way for the younger woman to let off some steam.

She appreciated Sooyoung heading their Family’s affairs with the Korean Council though. Joohyun never was much of a people person. Over a thousand years ago, long before Joohyun became a vampire, the supernatural community created a combined council, a managing body so to speak. Representatives from each major species in an area were required to attend yearly meetings to go over politics and hunting grounds. Attendance was mandatory. And as the Matriarch (Ugh, Joohyun _hated_ that outdated term for the leader of a vampire Family) of Seoul’s most powerful vampire clan, she was the face for her species in South Korea.

Joohyun waited until Sooyoung had run out of complaints before answering her question. “You and I both know that attendance is mandatory.”

“Come on, what’s the worst that can happen if we don’t go?” her Second asked. As soon as the words left her mouth the entire mansion rumbled ominously. Sooyoung yelped, clutching the nearby wall to keep her balance. Joohyun merely weathered it, examining her fingernails with disinterest until the tremor passed.

“ _That’s_ why,” she replied, the smallest of smiles on her face appearing. “When the original Council was formed a complicated ritual was performed to ensure the cooperation of every species. I wasn’t around so I don’t know the specifics but let’s just say we don’t even _think_ about not attending. A representative must attend, end of discussion.”

Sooyoung frowned, glancing up at the ceiling as if she was afraid to provoke another tremor. “Fine. You’re going with me this year though. And don’t give me that face, unnie. The ‘wolves have a new representative this year and according to the rules that means every species’ Alpha or whatever has to attend in order to perform the necessary binding ritual.” 

Joohyun was surprised. She knew werewolves were a combative species by nature and they determined their Alpha according to a rather outdated and extremely sexist method. But their last Alpha had been attending council meetings for the last half-century. What the hell had happened to him? “Maybe this time we’ll get an Alpha who’s smart enough to stop encroaching on our territory, it’s hard enough finding a decent meal these days without those mutts interfering.”

She didn’t notice Sooyoung’s small frown upon her use of the term “mutt”. Her Second cleared her throat, “Just try not to insult them again this year, unnie.”

Joohyun grinned, showing off her fangs. “But it’s so much fun to mess with them. And if I’m required to go, the least I can do is make it a little less boring.”

Sooyoung sighed, “You almost provoked a war with them. And need I remind you that they outnumber us three to one.”

Joohyun knew that her Second had put her foot down. She pouted, puffing her cheeks out in an adorable example of aegyo that only Sooyoung was allowed to see. “Bah, you’re no fun. Fine, I swear on my honor as Matriarch that I’ll behave at tonight’s Council meeting. Happy?”

“Peachy,” was Sooyoung’s response as the younger girl pulled out her cell phone and began tapping out a message. A little miffed that her faithful fledgling was now ignoring her in favor of whoever she was texting, Joohyun sped forward to grab Sooyoung’s phone from her fingers. “Ah, unnie don’t. That’s private.”

Joohyun scanned over the conversation with this “Katie” person Sooyoung was talking to, quickly becoming disinterested in the blatantly flirty exchange going on. Not even gossiping captured her interest anymore. “I told you no dating until you’re one hundred and fifty.”

“I told you no dating until you’re one hundred and fifty,” Sooyoung mimicked, snatching back her phone and locking it. “You know if life’s gotten _that_ boring for you Joohyun why don’t you take your own advice and start looking for a mate?”

Joohyun scoffed at the idea. “I don’t need a mate. Mates are an outdated ideal that lesser species like ‘wolves prattle on about.”

Sooyoung rolled her eyes at her Matriarch’s words. Joohyun had always bucked the notion of mates, something Sooyoung never quite understood. Why wouldn’t you want to find someone special? “I’m not saying you need to commit and find one now, but wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to share your life with?”

“I have you.”

Sooyoung snorted. “And I love you too, but I definitely don’t want to spend the rest of my unlife with you. Besides, I’ve seen you naked and I gotta say, didn’t do it for me.”

Joohyun gasped, feigning insult. Sooyoung laughed, a high clear sound that resonated through the mansion halls. “You take that back Park Sooyoung!”

“Never.” Joohyun sighed as her Second once again got distracted by her buzzing phone. “Damn, I have to take this. Look, I’ll have a car pick us up tonight at ten, make sure you wear something nice!”

Joohyun waved her off, knowing she’d long since lost Sooyoung to whoever “Katie” was. Her Second was lovesick, and if that’s how distracted attraction could make someone, she really didn’t want a mate.

But maybe, just maybe, her life _would_ get a little more interesting…

**XXX**

There wasn’t enough alcohol in the world for Joohyun to enjoy their yearly Council meetings. But the fully-stocked bar did do wonders for her mood, so as soon as she and Sooyoung arrived at the meeting she made a beeline straight for the alcohol. As usual, they were the first ones to arrive.

Due to territory restrictions, their yearly meetings were always held on neutral grounds, and the exact location changed every year. The area immediately surrounding the Han River served as a demilitarized zone of sorts, under the control of the witches who made sure everyone played nice with each other. Only two rules were enforced at these meetings: No bloodshed and no real names. The latter rule was because of the Fae.

The first rule was that the leaders could meet in relative peace without having to worry about potential skirmishes or war declarations. As soon as they arrived at the venue a bracelet infused with magic was slapped on their wrists by the witch delegation. If needed the bracelets could be triggered to disarm and disable any supernatural creature. Joohyun still wasn’t quite sure how the witches did it, but she’d seen the magic in action. It was enough to drop a fully transformed Alpha werewolf. The slightly sadistic part of her was itching to see if the magic would be strong enough to stop her if she lost control.

Joohyun was midway through her fourth drink of the evening (spiked with blood, of course) when the Fae delegation walked through the front door. She raised her glass in greeting.

Their representative, a young man Joohyun only knew as V, shot her a charming smile before coming over to join her. “Ah, Irene. Joy told us you were coming this year, but I admit I didn’t quite believe it.”

“Believe me, I’m being held here against my will. You’ve heard the ‘wolves have a new representative?”

V nodded, calling over the witch behind the bar so he could ask for a drink of his own. Joohyun knew to always watch her words around the Fae, especially with their penchant for stealing names, but in general she liked them. Disputes between their two factions were few and far between, and when a problem _did_ come up it was handled swiftly and without mercy.

“Ah. Yes, I did hear about that. I admit, I’m very curious about who their new Alpha will be.” V sat down next to her. “Of course all our treaties with them will have to be redrawn…”

He sighed, and Joohyun stifled a snort. Of course the thing V would be worried about is the amount of paperwork that needed doing. She wondered _how_ he was able to keep up with the workload; the Fae were second only to the witches in terms of numbers. Hell, Sooyoung had a hard enough time dealing with the seventy or so vampires in their Family. But to deal with close to five hundred?

“Why don’t you just delegate the task to someone else?” Joohyun said just loudly enough for Sooyoung to hear, chuckling under her breath when her fledgling casually flipped her off.

V turned around in his chair to wave cheerily at her Second. He leaned over to whisper conspiratorially, “Don’t I wish, but unlike you I’m not our faction’s head honcho. Joonie does the delegating and I handle the grunt work.”

He jerked his head in the direction of the man in charge of the Fae faction, who was busy talking to the Gumiho delegation as they arrived. “He’s always been the most diplomatic of us.” 

The Gumiho, unlike the other factions, were represented by not one leader but two. Known as LE and Hwasa to the Council (and as Hyojin and Hyejin to the non-Fae factions), the two women represented the twenty-five or so Gumiho that inhabited the greater Seoul metropolitan area. Joohyun was close to the two leaders, as Hyojin’s age rivaled her own and it was nice to have a similarly old soul to talk to.

Joohyun smiled as she spotted the two sisters, beckoning them over by holding up a bottle of their favorite soju. V made himself scarce as the Gumiho approached the bar, muttering something about preserving his liver. “Ladies! Good to see you.”

As a species, the Gumiho were one of the two factions on the Council who actually _needed_ to hunt humans for survival. Unlike vampires, there wasn’t a way for them to safely feed off humans without killing them. Not that it bothered them in the slightest.

Joohyun’s Family had long since had a treaty with them, allowing them to hunt in vampire territory as long as protocol was followed. Keep it clean, keep it quiet. They hadn’t had any problems so far, which Joohyun was proud of. In return the Gumiho allowed them unfettered access to their territory, which made moving around the city that much easier for her Family. It didn’t include hunting rights, but Joohyun wasn’t at all worried about it. Their territory was big enough and they had no need to infringe on the goodwill of their allies.

“I see the witches managed to get the good soju prepared this year,” Hyojin purred, prying the bottle out of Joohyun’s fingers and pouring a shot for her and her sister. “It almost makes up for them starting that territory war last month.”

Joohyun had heard about that. A rogue sect of witches had attempted to invade Gumiho territory in what was apparently a revenge move after a young Gumiho went after the son of their leader. It didn’t end well for the witches. There was a reason Hyojin (and by extension Hyejin) had led the faction for almost half a millenia. Not even Joohyun was confident that she could take them in a fight.

The rogue witches were systematically hunted down and wiped out. Even their own faction delegation turned their backs on the conflict, as they hadn’t gone through proper Council protocol on grievances and attacked without provocation. Joohyun didn’t quite understand all the political chess that went on with the Council (that was Sooyoung’s job) but she knew enough to police her own people. She despised having to deal with faction wars. So unnecessarily bloody. And the paperwork afterward was a nightmare. 

The three of them bantered back and forth for a while until the conversation casually slipped back into one about the ‘wolves. It seemed everyone was curious about the new Alpha.

“Speak of the devil…” Hyejin drawled as a familiar woodsy scent hit Joohyun’s nostrils. The werewolf delegation had arrived. And their Alpha was perhaps one of the prettiest women she had ever seen.

Joohyun’s eyes darkened as she drank in the sight of the woman walking through the door. Flanked by who Joohyun assumed were her Lieutenants, the Alpha confidently strode in. She had to admit, there was something about this new Alpha that piqued her interest. She watched as one of the Fae brazenly approached the werewolf. Now this would be interesting…

“Name?” the Fae at the door said lazily, taking out a pen so he could keep track of tonight’s representatives.

The beautiful wolf stepped forward and opened her mouth but she only got as far as saying “Kang—”

Before she knew it, Joohyun dashed forward in a blur of speed and slapped her hand over the wolf’s mouth. Was she stupid or something?

The two wolves at the woman’s side bristled, their chests rumbling with a warning growl that Joohyun paid no mind to. They posed no threat to her, she could rip out their throats before they even had time to breathe. She turned to the alpha and hissed, “Are you an idiot?”

The woman’s eyes flashed a scarlet red at the not-so-subtle insult and Joohyun snatched her hand back before the Alpha could nip at her. The Fae meanwhile had doubled over laughing, pointing at the delegation of werewolves. “Aw, come on Irene we just wanted to have a little fun!”

The Alpha tilted her head in a very dog-like fashion and Joohyun felt something stir in the very bottom of her heart. She couldn’t quite identify the feeling, but she knew that there was something about this _very_ pretty Alpha werewolf that caught her attention. And apparently it was enough for her to step in on the Fae’s obvious attempt at hazing the new delegation.

“What the hell was that for?” Ah, so the Alpha speaks. Joohyun rolled her eyes at the show of bravado, subtly flashing her own fangs in return as she shot the woman a predatory grin. The wolf’s voice carried an authoritative tone that almost rivaled her own. It certainly didn’t match her face.

Joohyun looked at her like she was stupid. “Seriously? Has no one taught you about the Fae?”

Judging from the quizzical look on the wolf’s face, she didn’t have a clue. And this is who they replaced old Jihoon with?

“Among other things, the Fae steal names,” Joohyun said slowly, hoping the wolf would at least begin to catch on. She quickly came to the conclusion however that this new representative was completely new to the basic workings of the Council. It would have been cute if this wolf didn’t look like she was two seconds from leaping for Joohyun’s throat. She must not be used to being challenged. “Oh for fuck’s sake. We don’t use our real names here as a precaution. Names have power. If the Fae had learned yours they would be able to quite literally use you however they please.”

Realization dawned on the pretty wolf’s face. Her cheeks turned pink. The duality of this woman was making Joohyun _very_ curious. “Thank you.”

Joohyun wasn’t expecting that. She was about to probe for a bit more information from the ‘wolf when V’s voice rang throughout the bar. “We’ve received word that the Skinstealers are a few minutes out so we’d like for everyone to group up with their own faction so we can get this meeting started as soon as they arrive.”

Damn it, she pouted. Disappointed that she wouldn’t have time to introduce herself to the new representative properly she grabbed Sooyoung and marched over to the rest of their delegation. She’d have to send some of her spies out later to learn more about Kang.

Maybe this year’s meeting wouldn’t be so dull after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Joohyun was so busy sneaking glances at the pretty werewolf Alpha that she almost missed the arrival of the Skinstealer delegation. She had to admit this Kang woman and her two Lieutenants brought a breath of fresh air to this year’s council meeting. Not that she’d hated the previous Alpha, though their factions were wont to tussle over the smallest border transgressions and perceived threats. Joohyun wondered what this new Alpha would be like, and she soon found herself gossiping with one of her fledglings while everyone retreated to the private back room in the bar.

Chuu was incredibly talkative, even among vampire standards. If there was something you wanted to know, Chuu was the most likely person to have the information you were searching for. Joohyun chalked it up to the young fledgling’s innocent-looking face and cute personality, as well as her almost uncanny ability to make people fall for her charm. Which was why upon Sooyoung’s recommendation a few years ago, Joohyun allowed the young vampire to attend council meetings. It turned out to have been a fantastic decision, with Chuu accurately predicting several skirmishes among the factions and making Joohyun’s job as Matriarch much easier.

“Tell me what you know about Kang and her Lieutenants,” Joohyun said, sliding over a glass of blood-spiked wine to the younger vampire.

Chuu smiled widely and accepted the glass, more than willing to talk about her observations. “Of course, Matriarch.”

Joohyun sighed inwardly, “You don’t have to call me—never mind, just continue.”

“I don’t know _why_ the ‘wolves previous Alpha is gone, the Fae have been musing about retirement while the Gumiho are certain that the change in leadership was due to a hostile takeover. All I know is that it was recent, within the last couple of months.”

Joohyun nodded. She’d surmised as such after learning from Sooyoung. She snuck another look at the pretty Alpha. Kang looked powerful, judging by the muscles she’d seen when they’d gotten up close and personal. Likewise the three ‘wolves flanking her protectively appeared to be equally as strong.

“I can appreciate a woman who knows what she wants,” Joohyun replied, knowing that Kang was able to hear her. Sure enough, the tips of the Alpha’s ears flushed pink. “Anything else?”

“Her Lieutenants are called Olivia, Signie and Wendy. I can give you more information after this meeting of course, but all appear strong and utterly devoted to Kang, going by how prickly they got when you invaded their space.”

“I’ll take you up on that then,” Joohyun said, patting Chuu on the head just as the doors to the bar blew open and seven unfamiliar faces walked in, two of them carrying a large box.

It was unlike the Skinstealer faction to be late, and in hindsight Joohyun knew that should have tipped her off to something being terribly wrong.

“JB, you’re late,” Joonie broke the silence.

The leader of the Skinstealers all but snarled in response, a high-pitched screech that made both the vampire and werewolf delegations flinch unconsciously. JB beckoned his fellows up after they got their bracelets slapped on, where they roughly tossed the box onto the table.

The lid broke open to reveal a mangled body.

There was a noticeable change in the council’s atmosphere as they stared at the body. Even Joonie appeared to be shaken, which was something Joohyun hadn’t seen in well over a century.

What’s worse was that Joohyun recognized the victim.

“Junho,” she said softly.

The Skinstealers were the smallest faction in Seoul by far, numbering even less than the Gumiho, so it hadn’t taken her very long to get to know every remaining member of the faction. Things hadn’t always been that way though.

She remembered that fateful council meeting fifty years ago, when word got out that the leader of the Skinstealers had broken the city’s one cardinal rule. It mattered not that his reasoning had been sound or the moment unwarranted. In fact, if Joohyun had been in his stead she too would have found the choice to be difficult.

But rules had to be followed. And examples had to be made from those who dared go against the will of the council. The Skinstealers had been purged, and all of their kind who sympathized with their leader had been summarily executed. There was no room for mercy when a single misstep by any of them could spell disaster for the entire supernatural population of Seoul.

Junho had been the hastily elected leader after the purge, a kind being unlike most of his brethren. He’d understood the importance of keeping this world hidden from humans. Only now it looked like _someone_ had taken issue with it.

“We found him in one of our alleyways, dumped there like trash for vermin to feed on,” JB seethed angrily, his eyes flashing from their normal brown to a sickly green.

“We need to know who did this,” a second Skinstealer piped up, placing a calming hand on his leader’s shoulder.

“You’re suggesting it was one of us?” LE said, eyeing the body curiously. “You know the rules we’re all under, dumping a kill like this is reckless.”

JB snapped in her direction, revealing rows of sharp, alligator-like teeth. The bracelet he wore hummed dangerously and he backed away, shrugging off his friend’s hand and pacing around the bar.

Joohyun stepped in, turning to the witch delegation. As the only neutral faction in the city and the one with its fingers in everyone’s affairs, they’d surely know something. “Is it possible we have a new player in town?” 

The bar fell silent again.

“Do you mean to suggest that this is the work of a new faction?” one of the witches, a woman with shoulder length brown hair that Joohyun knew as Kei, scoffed. “It’s more than likely that one of the factions here offed the Skinstealer.”

Still, Joohyun couldn’t help but notice the flash of uncertainty in the witch’s eyes. They were trying to posture. There were some things even magical talent couldn’t hide. Body language was one of them. Kei’s shoulders had tensed only slightly and her eyes kept darting towards the body.

“In other words you have no clue who could have done this.” Kang interrupted. Joohyun had to stifle the snort that threatened to burst out. This new Alpha was ballsy, no one dared to openly challenge the witch faction.

Kei’s lips pursed and she strode directly up to Kang and her Lieutenants. Olivia and Signie made to block her advance but were quickly brought to their knees when their bracelets hummed and sent a powerful jolt of electricity through their bodies.

“Let me make one thing clear, Kang,” Kei hissed. “You may be the new ‘wolf Alpha but you are _not_ the one in charge here. Speak when you’re spoken to, _dog_ , and not otherwise.”

To her credit, Kang didn’t appear to be the least bit threatened by the witch. She stood tall before Kei, a growl rumbling in her chest. Joohyun was impressed. By now the old Alpha would have leapt for Kei’s throat only to be shocked within an inch of his life. Already Kang was proving herself to be a stronger leader than he had been.

Kei turned around and walked back to her faction and only after she’d turned away did Kang quickly lean down to help Olivia and Signie to their feet, diligently checking them over for injuries like a mother wolf.

A quick glance at the other factions told Joohyun all she needed to know: Kang had earned her right to be at the meeting. Even JB, who was still pacing back and forth across the floor, seemed to look at her with something akin to respect in his eyes.

“Well _someone_ needs to figure out what happened,” Joonie said.

“Please, like we’d trust anyone here to conduct a fair and unbiased investigation,” Hwasa drawled from next to her sister.

Joonie pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers, “So that’s why I propose we postpone the rest of this council meeting and form an emergency investigative team by sending a representative from each faction.” 

Hwasa tilted her head, considering the proposition. “A noble idea. But suppose we figure out which naughty little supernatural did the deed? What happens next? Another faction purge?”

“If needed,” Kei said haughtily. Joohyun knew Kei was the type of witch who despised inter-faction efforts, likely because of all the extra work her people would have to put in in order to make sure things proceeded safely. 

“Then they will be brought to justice the same way we deal with alliance traitors,” Joonie replied. “The perpetrator and any accomplices will be put to death.”

The gumiho sighed her tails swishing around her, “Fine.”

Joonie turned to JB, “Is that agreeable?”

“Provided we get to play with the perpetrator before he dies,” JB hissed.

“Irene, Kang?”

Joohyun nodded. She’d make sure whoever killed Junho would face justice. Vampires weren’t exactly a species to be drowning in morals, especially considering their need to hunt humans, but Joohyun liked to think she wasn’t a mindless bloodsucker. For a Skinstealer, Junho had always been amenable to alliances with their faction and treated them with respect. If anything, she _really_ didn’t like it when people murdered her favorite things.

“Of course we’ll help,” Kang said eagerly.

Joonie turned to Kei once again, “It’s been decided unanimously then.”

Kei looked displeased that they’d agreed so readily to the idea. _Something_ about her had always rubbed Joohyun the wrong way, but with the way she’d reacted to the news had the gears in Joohyun’s head beginning to turn. There was definitely more to this murder than met the eye.

Kei huffed, throwing her hands up in the air. She’d been heavily outvoted. “Fine. Pick your representatives and have them report back here tomorrow morning. This council meeting is hereby postponed until Junho’s murder has been solved. Now get out of my bar.”

JB relaxed a little, his eyes no longer betraying how dangerously close he had been to losing control. The delegations began packing up their things and taking off their bracelets. Joohyun made a note to send the Skinstealer leader a card, maybe attached to a fresh body as a condolence.

She watched as Kang and her ‘wolves left first, already chatting about the meeting and who they’d send. Joohyun hoped the pretty Alpha would chose to take her faction’s spot. Joonie and his Fae siblings left soon after, followed closely by the gumiho.

Joohyun looked at the body that had been left on the bar, “You know if you need a place to put him, I can contact one of my people.”

Kei shot her a tired look, “Thank you Joohyun, but we’ve got things from here.” Several witch acolytes stepped forward and encased the body in a magical block of ice before shuffling it into the back room.

Joohyun gestured for her people to wait for her outside, wanting to talk briefly with the witch leader before she left.

Kei walked behind the bar and reached up on her tiptoes to grab a bottle of vodka from the top shelf, taking a deep swig. “Ugh, the logistics for this is gonna be a nightmare. A five-faction investigative team? And that Kang bitch is going to be a thorn in my side, I just know it.”

Joohyun chuckled. “You know you could try being a little less prickly.”

“This coming from the woman who leads a small army of blood-sucking monsters and told me _and I quote_ , ‘look at me like that one more time and I’ll rip your throat out and mail you back to your parents in pieces’.”

“I’d had a bad day. Besides, at least I don’t have to play babysitter over the next few weeks until this case gets solved.”

Kei slumped over on the bar and smacked her head against it repeatedly. “…Fuck you.”

“In your dreams, Jiyeon. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Joohyun left with a bounce in her step.

FINALLY something interesting was happening around here. 


	3. Chapter 3

“You know it really isn’t that complicated,” Joohyun said. “You run, we chase you. Your feeble human body tires out and then you die. If you’d like, I can give you a head start.”

She flashed her fangs at the gang leader, taking pride in the subtle quiver in his legs. He was trying to look tough in front of his boys, a sentiment she understood and respected. Leaders should never show weakness. Still, she and her hunters had spent the last several weeks planning this operation and it wouldn’t do to let him go. Her children still had to eat.

They’d tracked the gang to an abandoned industrial block on the south-east fringes of their territory. A few hundred feet from where they stood, Joohyun could hear the rushing of the Han River. Beyond that was the ‘wolves territory. Which meant she couldn’t allow them to get far.

“Still no? Maybe a weapon…?” Joohyun beckoned over two of her hunters, who carried a bulky metal crate between the two of them. They set It down in front of the gang leader and opened it up, revealing a small hoard of weapons. Joohyun had made sure to stock it with a healthy variety of guns, knives, baseball bats, hell she’d even thrown an antique mace in there in the hopes someone would choose it. “Please feel free to take whatever you’d like.”

She decided to leave out the whole _We’ll just take them back when you die_ bit; after all, she liked giving her prey hope. It made their blood all the sweeter. There was a stifled giggle behind her and Joohyun made a sharp gesture to stop it. _Fledglings,_ Joohyun sighed internally. It took a few years to break them of their behavior and mold them into the fighting forces her Family needed, but she wouldn’t dare let anyone else train them.

The two groups stood facing each other: twelve gang members on one side, Joohyun and her five hunters on the other. Invisible battle lines were drawn as everyone waited for their leader to make the first move. Joohyun yawned, stretching her arms and cracking the bones in her neck. She had nowhere else to be.

The gang leader eyed her warily, then moved his gaze to the pile of weapons in front of him. There was a moment of silence and then he leaped for the stockpile, pulling out a gun and pointing it at Joohyun’s head.

Two of the younger fledglings hissed instinctively but remained still, unwilling to incur the wrath of their Matriarch. Joohyun didn’t fault them, it would take them time to realize that mortal weapons could no longer hurt them.

She raised one perfectly manicured eyebrow at him as if to say, _really?_ That would be another mark against her on the tally board she shared with her third-in-command Minji. They always went for the gun, no one had any creativity these days. Joohyun supposed it was thanks to Seoul’s strict gun laws, and Minji had made sure to put a _very_ illegal firearm with an extended magazine in the stash.

His hand shook slightly as he put some distance between himself and Joohyun. She fixed him with a fierce gaze, letting her eyes shift from their normal brown to a shocking blue. Maybe that would be enough of a hint, at this point she was spelling it out for him.

“I don’t need a head start,” he growled, pulling the trigger. 

Joohyun saw it coming of course. Not that a bullet to the chest would have killed her. Nor would it have hurt, not really. The momentum might have blown her backwards a bit, embarrassing her in front of her fledglings, but the only wounded thing to come out of that situation would have been her pride.

Faster than the gang leader could even perceive, Joohyun jerked to the left, her body phasing into the shadows as the bullet whizzed past her ear. She cracked her neck as her form solidified again, though her smirk faded upon seeing that he’d managed to graze her leather jacket.

“You motherfucker,” Joohyun swore, shrugging off her jacket and poking a finger through the newly-created hole in the expensive leather. Objectively it wasn’t _that_ big of a deal, she had plenty of money to replace things. But Sooyoung had given her this jacket for her last “birthday” and now this filthy human had gone and ruined it.

She dashed forward, a hiss on the tip of her tongue. She got right up in the gang leader’s face, enjoying the look of sheer terror on his face. It looked like he had an inkling of what was going on now, as he squeezed the trigger three more times. None of the wild shots hit their mark, of course. And this time Joohyun made sure her jacket didn’t get any more holes.

She grabbed him by the throat with one hand, easily lifting him up. Her other hand slowly pried the gun from his grip. “Your time starts now.”

And she threw him.

The gang leader flew backwards into a partially-demolished wall, scattering glass and small chunks of concrete everywhere. He scrambled to his feet a moment later, battered, bruised and frightened out of his wits. Joohyun could almost taste his fear as the humiliated man took off towards the door, leaving his cronies behind.

It was as if that single action galvanized the rest of the men, for there was suddenly a mad rush towards the exit.

“Are we going to—” Minji piped up as the last of the gang members fled into the night. “You know we’re not far from wolf territory.”

Joohyun turned to her Third, “I told them they’d get a head start. What kind of leader would I be if I just broke my word like that?”

The taller woman snorted. “You’re cruel.”

“They taste better scared.”

Joohyun hiked up her sleeve and took a look at the watch on her left hand. Her fledglings were getting impatient, but she commended them for obeying her orders and managing to keep their bloodlust in check. They’d be happy soon enough.

She waited another thirty seconds before turning to her team. “Alright little ones. Go get them. The leader is mine, though.”

Excited hissing broke out among the fledglings as they dispersed at once, melting into the shadows and beginning to hunt. Joohyun watched them go with a fond smile.

“They grow up so fast.”

Minji followed her gaze. “You know, I never took you for the caring type, unnie. But I have to admit, you’ve really taken charge the last century or so. Why the sudden change?”

Joohyun tilted her head, considering the question. She supposed it all started after she’d turned Sooyoung and took the fledgling under her wing. Looking after the younger girl had given her a sense of purpose, something she didn’t know she had been lacking until then. Vampires couldn’t have children in the way many of the other supernatural species did, they relied on turning others to replenish their ranks.

“I guess I find motherhood rewarding,” she replied with a smirk as the first of the screams began to echo throughout the area.

Minji dropped her shoulders, “You say that until one of the fledglings goes blood-crazy and almost murders his girlfriend in werewolf territory. My god, what a political nightmare. The amount of money we had to give the witches to wipe her memory…”

“Which is why you and Sooyoung are the ones that deal with it,” Joohyun patted her Third on the back.

“Thanks,” the taller girl replied dryly.

Joohyun chuckled, checking her watch once more before turning to face the door. “Make sure the little ones don’t gorge themselves too much, we have to bring at least half of them back to the rest of the Family. I’m going hunting.”

“Yes ma’am,” Minji began packing up the crate of weapons as Joohyun phased up to the window on the second floor of the abandoned warehouse and looked out at the city before her. Her fledglings had made quick work of two of the thugs—their bodies littered the street, nothing more than empty husks completely drained of blood. Judging from the screams to her left, a third was about to meet the same fate.

She trusted that Minji would corral the fledglings after they’d had a little fun. Her people were rarely able to hunt these days, all the advancements in technology made tracking targets easy but it also made cleaning up their kills nigh impossible. Hell, Joohyun even had to turn a young woman named Mina who specialized in IT in order to modernize her Family’s hunting methods.

Mina had spent weeks organizing this hunt, and Joohyun would be damned if she didn’t get to toy with her dinner before eating. She looked in the direction where the gang leader had fled towards, then took off.

She leapt cleanly from the second floor onto the roof of the building next door. Peering over the side she noticed a pair of boot tracks that led in the direction of the Han River. _Little bastard is trying to run,_ she scowled and began following the tracks, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, occasionally throwing in an acrobatic leap for fun as she chased him through the urban playground.

Joohyun missed this feeling, the wind flowing through her hair as she hunted her prey. She had no need to breathe, obviously, but she found herself inhaling deeply, tasting the crisp night air. It was odd, until tonight the idea of having to hunt for her Family left her bored and uninterested.

She hadn’t been able to hunt with her fledglings for several months now; the administrative duties that came with being Matriarch afforded her little time to indulge in her favorite pastime. But she figured since the next few weeks would likely be consumed by the murder investigation she might as well have a little bit of fun.

There wasn’t enough real danger in the world anymore, she thought to herself as she ran. Seoul had lived under Council rule for as long as anyone could remember, and while there were occasionally inter-species scuffles and pesky war declarations, by and large the city was a safe place for supernatural beings. The mystery behind Junho’s murder was Joohyun’s first taste of curiosity in ages.

Her mind kept flashing back to the pretty Alpha as well, to feeling the werewolf’s breath against her hand as they touched. An innocent action, so why was she focusing so much on that single moment? She didn’t even know the other woman’s real name. Maybe she’d ask Chuu when she got back to the manor. 

She froze, hearing the almost inaudible crunching of gravel ahead of her. All thoughts of Kang flew out of her head as she focused back in on the hunt. Someone was trying their hardest to remain undetected. But nothing could beat her enhanced senses. She smiled, feeling her canines lengthening even further as her body prepared to go into feeding mode. They indented her lower lip, giving her a stereotypically “vampiric” look. The movies hadn’t gotten _everything_ wrong. Joohyun leaped fearlessly off the roof, landing on the road right in front of her prey.

“Why hello there.”


End file.
